'The physics of life,' an undergraduate general education biophysics course

摘要

Improving the scientific literacy of non-scientists is an important aim, both because of the ever-increasing impact of science on our lives and because understanding science enriches our experience of the natural world. One route to improving scientific literacy is via general education undergraduate courses-i.e. courses for students not majoring in the sciences or engineering. Because it encompasses a variety of important scientific concepts, demonstrates connections between basic science and real-world applications and illustrates the creative ways in which scientific insights develop, biophysics is a useful subject with which to promote scientific literacy. I describe here a course on biophysics for non-science-major undergraduates recently developed at the University of Oregon (Eugene, OR, USA), noting its design, which spans both macroscopic and microscopic topics, and the specific content of a few of its modules. I also describe evidence-based pedagogical approaches adopted in teaching the course and aspects of course enrollment and evaluation.